Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, (e.g., an LTE system).
By way of example, a wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UEs), mobile devices or stations (STAs). A base station may communicate with the communication devices on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a base station).
As cellular networks have become more congested, operators are beginning to look at ways to increase capacity. One approach may include the use of wireless local area networks (WLANs) to offload some of the traffic or signaling of a cellular network. Additionally, operators may seek to utilize unlicensed spectrum, traditionally used for WLAN, for cellular technology. But this increasing demand for unlicensed spectrum can lead to undesirable interference, which may impact certain radio access technologies (RATs) more than others.